Urban Surface Temperatures and the Urban Heat Island Effects

Through this unit, students learn how climate is changing in urban settings and produce mitigation solutions for city environmental concerns. Students explore climate simulation models and global temperature profiles; learn about remote sensing and investigate instruments on climate satellites; analyze remote sensing imagery and understand the urban heat island effect; collect land surface temperature and create a physical model that promotes the concept of an urban heat island and mitigation factors to include human action towards climate in urban settings.

This unit of study has five lessons including a capstone project:

• Making Earth Cool Again! What‘s Happening to Climate?
• Seeing From Another View Through Satellites
• When Heat Is Trapped and Urban Heat Island Takes Over
• Changing Land Surface Temperatures
• Urban Heat Island City Physical Model

Next Generation Science Standards: ESS2, ESS3
Common Core State Standards: HSN.Q.A.2
A pre- and post-unit assessment is included.
Urban Surface Temperatures and the Urban Heat Island Effects
More Applied Research STEM Curriculum Unit Plans:

• Blue Carbon: Bringing Field Research and Mapping to the High School Classroom
• Earth’s Energy Budget Educator Guide/Unit of Study
• Future Temperature Projections Curriculum Unit
• Wetlands Curriculum Unit